Classification in Para-Sport - Introduction
What is Classification?
Athletes competing in Paralympic sports have an impairment that leads to a competitive
disadvantage in sport.
Classification provides a structure for fair and equitable competition within the Paralympic
Movement.
It groups athletes with disabilities into sports classes according to how much their impairment
affects their ability to carry out the fundamental activities in a specific sport.
The purpose of classification is to define who competes in Para-Sport and to ensure that the
impact of impairment in each event is minimized.
Classification ensures the success of an athlete is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance,
tactical ability and mental focus.
Eligible Impairments (10) and Commonly Associated Health Conditions
The Paralympic Movement offers sport opportunities for athletes with physical, visual and
intellectual impairments and these can be divided into 10 eligible impairment types which must be
permanent in nature,. The following are the Eligible Impairments in the Paralympic Movement,
together with examples of Health Conditions that may lead to those Eligible Impairments:

Impaired muscle power: Reduced force generated by muscles or muscle groups, may occur in
one limb or the lower half of the body. Examples include: spinal cord injury (complete or
incomplete, tetra-or paraplegia), muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome and spina bifida.

Impaired passive range of movement: Athletes with impaired range of movement have a
restriction or a lack of passive movement in one or more joints. Examples include:
arthrogryposis and contracture resulting from chronic joint immobilization or trauma
affecting a joint.

Loss of limb or limb deficiency: Athletes with limb deficiency have total or partial absence of
bones or joints as a consequence of trauma (for example traumatic amputation), illness (for
example amputation due to bone cancer) or congenital limb deficiency (for example
dysmelia).

Leg-length difference: Athletes that have a difference in the length of their legs as a result of a
disturbance of limb growth, or as a result of trauma.

Short stature: Athletes with short stature have a reduced length in the bones of the lower limbs
and/or trunk. Examples include: achondroplasia, growth hormone dysfunction, and
osteogenesis imperfecta.

Hypertonia: Athletes with hypertonia have an increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability
of a muscle to stretch caused by damage to the central nervous system. Examples include:
cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Page 1 of 7

Ataxia: Athletes with ataxia have uncoordinated movements caused by damage to the central
nervous system. Examples include: cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke and multiple
sclerosis.

Athetosis: Athletes with athetosis have continual slow involuntary movements. Examples
include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke

Visual impairment: Athletes with impaired vision have reduced or no vision caused by damage
to the eye structure, optical nerves or optical pathways, or visual cortex of the brain. Examples
include: retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy

Intellectual Impairment: Athletes with an intellectual Impairment have a restriction in intellectual
functioning and adaptive behavior in which affects conceptual, social and practical adaptive
skills required for everyday life. This Impairment must be present before the age of 18.
The presence of a permanent eligible impairment must be proven by means of medical diagnostic
information that must be presented no later than at the time of athlete evaluation.
Non-Eligible Impairments












Any Impairment not listed in above is referred to as a non-eligible Impairment. Examples
include:
Pain
Hearing impairment
Low muscle tone
Hypermobility of joints
Joint instability, such as unstable shoulder joint, recurrent dislocation of a joint
Impaired muscle endurance
Impaired motor reflex functions
Impaired cardiovascular function
Impaired respiratory functions
Impairment metabolic functions
Tics and mannerisms, stereotypes and motor perseveration
Health Conditions that will not lead to an Eligible Impairment
International Sport Federations may specify in their Classification Rules that certain Health
Conditions do not lead to an Eligible Impairment. Any Athlete who is only affected by such Health
Condition will not be considered for Classification in relation to one or more sports governed by
that International Sport Federation.
The IPC has specified certain Health Conditions that do not lead to an Eligible Impairment.
Examples are:
 Health conditions that primarily cause pain, such as myofacial pain-dysfunction syndrome,
fibromyalgia or complex regional pain syndrome.
 Health Conditions that primarily cause fatigue, such as chronic fatigue syndrome. International
Standard for Eligible Impairments 7
 Health Conditions that primarily cause joint hypermobility or hypotonia, such as Ehlers-Danlos
syndrome
 Health Conditions which are primarily psychological or psychosomatic in nature, such as
conversion disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Page 2 of 7
Classification Systems
Classification systems differ by sport and are developed by the International Federations (IF)
governing the sport. The IF is also responsible to review the system from time to time.
IFs decide which eligible impairment types their sport will cater to.
Some Paralympic sports are only designed for athletes with one eligible impairment type. Goalball,
for example, is only open to athletes with visual impairment.
Other sports, such as athletics and swimming, are open to athletes with any of the 10 eligible
impairments recognized by IPC.
IFs also decide how severe impairment must be in order for an athlete to be eligible to compete in
their sport. For an athlete to be eligible the impairment must be severe enough that it impacts his
or her sport performance. This is called the ‘Minimum Impairment Criterion’. If an athlete fails to
meet the Minimum Impairment Criterion, it does not question the presence of a genuine
impairment; it is only a ruling on the eligibility of the athlete to compete in a particular sport under
the IF Sport Rules.
Since different sports require different abilities, each sport logically requires its own classification
system. For example, an impairment of the arms affects performance in a running event in
athletics to a lesser extent than it affects performance in swimming.
The only exception to the sport-specific character of Paralympic classification is the classification
for athletes with visual impairment. This system is still a medical system and the sport class
allocated therefore applies across all sports (but the naming of the class may differ).
Guide to Para-Sports and Impairment Inclusion
Summer Para-Sports:
..\..\IPC Guide to
Classification\150731131044465_2015_07_29+Explanatory+guide+Classification_summe
r+FINAL+.pdf
Winter Para-Sports:
..\..\IPC Guide to Classification\121203164523073_WinterSportLaymens.pdf
Quick Guide to Sport and Impairment Eligibility
Y:\Classification Information\Athlete Information 2015\Information for Athletes\Eligible
Impairments.xlsx
Sport Classes
A sport class is a category which groups athletes depending on how much their impairment
impacts performance in their sport. Therefore, a sport class is not necessarily comprised of one
impairment type alone, but can be comprised of athletes with different impairments. However,
these different impairments affect sport performance to a similar extent. For example, you will find
athletes with paraplegia and double above-knee amputation competing in the same sport class in
athletics because their different impairments have a comparable effect on their 1,500m wheelchair
racing performance.
Page 3 of 7
In individual sports, athletes compete against athletes in their own sport class to ensure the impact
of impairment is minimized. In national events and smaller international competitions athletes in
different sport classes may compete together for one medal, because there are not enough
athletes for each sport class to create a competitive event. In these cases, athletes in different
sport classes may be given a ‘coefficient’ or correction score to account for the different levels of
activity limitation.
Some Para-Sports only have only one sport class, such as powerlifting. To compete in these
sports, the athletes only need to meet the minimum impairment criteria.
In team sports, the players are allocated points, which indicate their activity limitation. A lower
score indicates a more severe activity limitation than a higher score. A team is not allowed to have
more than a certain maximum sum of points on the field of play at the same time in order to ensure
equal competition with the opposing team.
How is a Sport Class Allocated to an Athlete?
A sport class is allocated through athlete evaluation by a group of classifiers. Each IF trains and
certifies classifiers to conduct athlete evaluation in its sport.
Classifiers assessing athletes with the various physical impairments listed above either have a
medical background or are technical experts in their sport.
Classifiers for athletes with a visual impairment have a background in ophthalmology or optometry.
Psychologists and sport experts are responsible for the classification of athletes with an intellectual
impairment.
Athlete Evaluation takes place before competitions. Therefore, athletes who need to be classified
arrive at the competition a few days early.
Depending on the type and severity of the impairment an athlete might undergo athlete evaluation
several times throughout his or her career. Some impairments change over time, e.g. visual acuity
might decrease over time or hypertonia may increase. Also, junior athletes may not yet have
reached skeletal maturity by the time of first classification (e.g. in swimming). In these cases,
classifiers can decide that the athlete has to be seen again at the next competition or at set
timeframes (e.g. (bi-) annual review).
Athlete evaluation at a competition may encompass the following:
 An assessment of whether or not the Athlete has an Eligible Impairment for the relevant sport;
 An assessment of whether or not an Athlete complies with Minimum Impairment Criteria for the
relevant sport;
 An assessment and evaluation of the extent to which the Athlete is able to execute the specific
tasks and activities fundamental to the sport;
 If required, the conduct of Observation in Competition Assessment;
 The allocation of a Sport Class and designation of a Sport Class Status.
Athletes have the right to challenge a decision taken by classification panels. The IPC
Classification Code defines protest and appeal opportunities, which need to be adhered to by each
sport.
Page 4 of 7
When is Classification Conducted?
There are three types of classifications: Provisional, National and International. Click on the link
below for more information:
..\Paralympics New Zealand Classification Handbook\Provisional, National and
International Classification.docx
Provisional Classification Forms and Fact Sheets
Physical Impairment:
..\Classification in Para-Sport - Forms\Physical Impairment\PI Provisional Classification
Sheet - Para-Athletes with a Physical Impairment.docx
..\Classification in Para-Sport - Forms\Physical Impairment\Classification Fact Sheet Para-Athletes with Physical Impairment.docx
Visual Impairment:
..\Classification in Para-Sport - Forms\Physical Impairment\PI Provisional Classification
Sheet - Para-Athletes with a Physical Impairment.docx
..\Classification in Para-Sport - Forms\Visual Impairment\Classification Fact Sheet-ParaAthletes with Visual Impairment.docx
Intellectual impairment:
..\Classification in Para-Sport - Forms\Intellectual Impairment\II Provisional Classification
Form - Para-Athletes with Intellectual Impairment.docx
..\Classification in Para-Sport - Forms\Intellectual Impairment\Classification Fact Sheet Para-Athletes with Intellectual Impairment.docx
Invictus Games:
..\Classification in Para-Sport - Forms\Invictus Games\Invictus Games Provisional
Classification Form.docx
Role of Paralympics New Zealand in Classification
Paralympics New Classification Strategy:
..\..\..\..\Classification Programme Development\2015-2016\Classification Strategy and National
Classification Programme\Final Document V.8\PARALYMPICS NEW ZEALAND
CLASSIFICATION STRATEGY.pdf
Classification Strategy Flow Chart:
..\..\..\..\Classification Programme Development\2015-2016\Classification Strategy and National
Classification Programme\Final Document V.8\Copy of 2015_03 Org Chart PNZ v.3.docx
National Classification Programme:
..\..\..\..\Classification Programme Development\2015-2016\Classification Strategy and
National Classification Programme\Final Document V.8\NATIONAL CLASSIFICATION
PROGRAMME.pdf
Page 5 of 7
Paralympics New Zealand Handbook (Currently under review)
..\..\..\PNZ Classification Handbook\Final Copies\PNZ Classification Rules Regulations and
Handbook Version 4- October 2012.pdf
Commonly Asked Questions
(To be developed)
Media guide for Classification
(To be developed)
Event organizers Guide for Classification
(To be developed)
Classifiers Information
(To be developed)
Want to Learn More?
If you would like to learn more about classification, please have a look at the following documents.
IPC Classification Code
This is the most important document governing the Paralympic Movement in regards to
classification. It helps to support and co-ordinate the development and implementation of accurate,
reliable and consistent sport focused classification systems. It was published in 2007 and is part of
the IPC Handbook.
Available at:
www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/120201084329386_2008_2_Classification_Code
6.pdf
IPC Position Statement on Background and Scientific Rationale for Classification in
Paralympic Sport
This position statement, which was written by Sean Tweedy and Yves Van Landewijck, explains
what evidence based classification means and how this can be achieved. It shows how
classification systems should be based on scientific evidence. The IPC has officially committed to
the aim of evidence based classification with the approval of this position statement by the
Governing Board in 2009. Available at:
www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/document/120203171258165_Sec_ii_chapter_4.4_Position_
Statement_on_Classification.pdf
Introduction to the Paralympic Movement
If you want to learn more about the history of the Paralympic Movement and classification, from the
beginnings in Stoke Mandeville to today’s London 2012 Paralympic Games, then the article
“Introduction to the Paralympic Movement” by Sean Tweedy and P. David Howe can be highly
recommended. The article is available in the following book:
Y.C. Van Landewijck & W.R. Thompson (Eds.): The Paralympic Athlete. Wiley- Blackwell: IOC
Handbook of Sports Medicine and Science.
Page 6 of 7
IPC Website
For news and videos about the Paralympic Movement, information about the IPC structure and
classification, please visit the IPC website: www.paralympic.org. You may also find the section on
Classification of the website interesting: www.paralympic.org/Classification/Introduction
For further information on classification contact:
Paralympics New Zealand
2.10 Axis Building
1 Cleveland Road, Parnell
Auckland 1052
New Zealand
09 526 0760
classification@paralympics.org.nz
www.paralympics.org.nz
Page 7 of 7